Shattered Demon I: Oni Seppan
by Sealed-Dragon
Summary: After an encounter with Itachi, the Kyuubi's soul is split. With half of it fused with him, Naruto has everything to prove, or lose. Will he grow strong in time, or fail?
1. Split

**Special thanks: Thank you _Kray-kun_, for giving me the idea, and betaing for me. Now, let's get this show moving!**

Shattered Demon I: Oni Seppan

Chapter 1: Split

Naruto gasped as he ran down the alleyway. His head was pounding as he struggled to remain conscious. He hadn't needed to run _this_ much since he was five. He remembered running from a drunken mob, trying to get to the Hokage tower. Unlike this time, he'd passed out in one of the alleyway's, and somehow remained hidden until the next day.

Naruto suddenly tripped, and fell over. He quickly struggled to get up, and then froze. He could distinctly make out the feet of someone standing in front of him. His eyes began to trace the person up until it met with the eyes of Uchiha Itachi, his pursuer. Naruto felt a chill run up his spine. His Sharingan seemed to hold more malice in it than any other Sharingan that he'd ever seen.

Naruto slowly picked himself up, praying that some Kami might save him. But then, he already knew that Kami hated his guts, so why did he even bother?

Itachi glanced down at Naruto. He'd just finished killing his clan, and was now acting on his second order, straight from Madra himself. It was one he felt no one should have a problem doing right now. Capture the Kyuubi.

Naruto slowly backed away from Itachi, hoping that he would leave him alone. For a moment, Itachi just stood there, watching him back away. Finally, feeling he might just have a shot at freedom, Naruto turned around to run away.

Only to find that Itachi had moved in front of him again. Naruto nearly smacked into him. Glancing up at him, he could feel the killing intent that rolled off of Itachi. In Itachi's mind, he knew that even with his level of Genjutsu, if he used Tsukuyomi, his job would be a lot quicker. He slowly moved forward, picking Naruto up as he moved along, and slammed him into the nearest wall. As he brought him to eye level, he activated his Mangekyou. In the still of the night, his whisper seemed to echo. "Tsukuyomi."

The world changed. Everything had gone black, and red. And instead of being held onto the wall by Itachi's hand, he was held on by chains. Naruto watched as Itachi multiplied before his eyes, going from one, to a thousand.

"You are in the world of Tsukuyomi, the Moon Reader. You will now spend seventy-two hour as I stab you once per second." Itachi said monotonously, as he took the first blade and stabbed him.

Naruto withered in agony. He'd been stabbed before, but for some reason, this seemed to be on a whole different level of pain. It was like instead of just stabbing him, he was twisting the sword around, damaging him more and more.

"Seventy-one hours, fifty-nine minutes, fifty-nine seconds to go." Itachi said, monotonously. He took his blade and stabbed Naruto in his left eye. Naruto's scream reverberated around the realm. "You will not need it, where you're going. Now, seventy-one hours, fifty-nine minutes, fifty-eight seconds to go."

This went on for another fifty hours in Tsukuyomi, until Naruto finally noticed something off in the distance.

There were two figures, both tied to some kind of cross. One of them was too far away to be seen, so he could be certain who it might be. But the other figure was one he knew only from textbooks. The face, filled with malice, was that of the Kyuubi's. Naruto was certain that it had been killed, but now he was beginning to have doubts.

"Wh…what is… the Kyuubi doing…here?" Naruto asked slowly, trying not to show just the amount of pain he was going through.

Itachi glanced over towards the Kyuubi. As his eyes narrowed, he sent another one of his, copies, to get rid of it. To Naruto, he simple smirked. "He is no one of concern. At least, he won't be in a moment."

Naruto's eyes widened as he watched the copy push the sword into the Kyuubi's head, and quickly bring it down. What happened next would forever scar them.

As the Kyuubi split in half, the two sides seemed to take different approaches to what to do next. The left side broke into pieces and flew towards Naruto, while the right side formed itself into a red skeleton. Itachi's eyes widened, as the skeleton began to hack away at the 'Itachi's'. "Time to go."

Naruto's eyes widened as he stared at the fractured pieces. Even as the Itachi's left, the world didn't change, and the two parts still continued to move. Naruto felt a cold shiver run up his spine. Unlike fear, and actual cold, this shiver was from need. He couldn't explain it, but he _needed_ to move, to reach out to the Kyuubi. Slowly, even as he was restrained, he reached out. Finally, after a moment of struggling, he touched a small piece of the Kyuubi that had floated close to his hand.

Naruto's eyes widened, as the small piece squirmed into him. He could only watch, fascinated, as the piece moved to the nearest wound. Once it had reached the wound, it began to almost become comfortable with him. After another moment it stopped moving.

Naruto felt a small warmth coming within him, filling him up. He would've pondered more on it, if something else hadn't caught his eye. The rest of the fractured pieces were flying towards him.

All Naruto could do was let out a small gasp, as the pieces quickly consumed him. But instead of destroying him, or anything like that, they began to copy what the first had done, and settle into his wounds. After several minutes, all of the wounds that Itachi had given Naruto were healed, except for his eye.

Naruto glanced up, straight into the floating eye of the Kyuubi. Unlike the red of the Sharingan, it was much more feral, and destructive. Naruto could only stare at it, feeling a small trace of fear travel through him. But the need to be whole drowned it out, as he opened his eye and let it in. The moment it had done so, something tore into his mind, and he blacked out.

x X x

Itachi gasped as he forced himself to abandon the Genjutsu early. He'd only used it one other time that night, but it was still taxing.

Naruto slumped down, real blood slashed all over where Itachi knew he'd stabbed him in Tsukuyomi. While he was curious as to why he'd sustained real damage, he quickly took a step back. Naruto's body was shaking, and convulsing violently. Finally, as it began to stop, he opened his left eye.

Itachi's eyes widened. His eye was completely gone, just like he'd done in Tsukuyomi. Madra had told him that it was a Genjutsu, that it couldn't possibly hurt someone, and that it was all mental pain. But for some reason, Naruto had not only sustained damage, but had lost his eye as well.

Itachi was quickly brought out of his thoughts as his Sharingan noticed something exiting his eye. He watched closely as small amounts of demon chakra leaked out. His eyes widened, as the chakra exploded outwards. After another couple of seconds, it began to die down and take shape.

The Skeleton Kyuubi had finally found its way out, and it had no intention of staying inside of Naruto for long. After another couple of seconds, it was fully formed, rearing its head back, letting loose a primal screech. Itachi stood still, feeling the chakra pulsating off of it. It was far to much to be anything normal, which could only mean that, somehow, the Kyuubi had escaped.

He was brought out of his thoughts, as a hand touched his shoulder. "We're leaving. If we continue on, we'll be killed."

Itachi nodded, and quickly began to follow Madra away from Konoha.

The skeletal Kyuubi took in its first breath of fresh air in eight years. It was good to be free. With a sadistic grin, it jumped away, headed towards the gates…and freedom.

x X x

Today, was not going to be a good day for Sarutobi. First, he had to sit through meetings all day, then he had paperwork up to his armpits to take care of. And when he was finally done, he had to go to another meeting. It was his particular meeting that he'd been dreading. Because it all revolved around one subject: Naruto.

Sarutobi resisted the urge to slam his head against the table as the council bickered about what they should do with the boy. He'd already told them what was to be done, and that he wouldn't change his mind. But that didn't stop them from trying to bicker about it, and try to over rule it. After another couple of minutes, Sarutobi finally broke.

"Silence!" He yelled out. Everyone in the room quickly gave him their full attention. After a moment, he slowly let out a sigh. "I don't see why we have to have this discussion again. I've already gone over this multiple times, and that's final."

Danzo quickly stood up. "But, Hokage-sama. Even though we've been recovering, we still need a way to maintain out place at the top of the power chain. Naruto would definitely be able to take us there in a second. I'd even be willing to let him train with ROOT - "

"No, I've already decided. He will be treated as a normal child." Sarutobi said holding his hand up so that no one would try to oppose his ruling. After a brief pause, he glanced up. "And didn't I tell you to disband ROOT? What's going on behind my back, Danzo?"

Danzo sighed. "What I was about to say, was that he could train with ROOT members that I'd once trained. Back when I still had my arm, and was at my most powerful."

Sarutobi inwardly sighed. No matter how much Danzo wished to hide it, he was still going on with ROOT. But then, he didn't want to waste the time, or the effort, in searching for a ghost.

Suddenly, off in the distance, all of the council members felt a large chakra blast wash over them. The feeling of dread that filled them could only let the chakra belong to one creature; the Kyuubi.

A moment later, an ear piercing screech pierced the night. The Inuzuka's dogs began to whimper, and place their paws over their ears. It was a horrible, gut twisting sound.

"Everyone, meeting adjourned." Sarutobi said, rushing through the door. The moment he was outside, he quickly began to run towards the source of the screech, in hopes that nothing had happened to Naruto. He felt others following him, but mentally brushed them off. Most were just worried, while others were curious as to what was going on.

After several moments, they were a mile away from the Uchiha compound. As Sarutobi jumped from one building to another, he finally saw what he was looking for.

"Naruto!" he cried as he turned back and dropped down to him. The boy looked relatively unharmed, but everything around him was a disaster area. Most of the ground near him was burnt, and there was a path where the fire left towards the edge of the city. He glanced down at Naruto again.

The boy looked like he'd been crushed. There was blood all over his jumpsuit, and when he took it off, there was obvious signs of someone taking a bladed weapon to him, and cutting him. It disgusted him to no end. Sarutobi knew he'd be scared for life by this. He also noticed that there was a small scar on his left eye. What was really strange, was that none of the skin around it was harmed, just the eyelid.

Sarutobi quickly lifted his eyelid, and he found that the eye he was staring at was that of the Kyuubi. But there was no menace behind it, and there was the obvious love that Naruto would always have within it. He quickly did the same to the other eye, and found that, unlike the other, it was still the sky blue that he knew. He gave a small sigh of relief. The Kyuubi wasn't taking over, so they could relax once again.

But there was something else wrong with him. For a moment, he couldn't figure it out, until he gripped his arm.

"His pulse is weakening!" He called out, slowly picking Naruto up. Some of the other shinobi around him glanced away. Sarutobi grimaced, and quickly began to make his way to the hospital.

_Naruto, please be all right._


	2. Scars

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, but wish I did.

Thanks to Kray-kun for looking this over and helping with the idea, I hope that you all enjoy this chapter enough to review!

Shattered Demon I: Oni Seppa

Chapter 2: Scars

_A young teenager walked down a long, twisted path. Behind him was a small group of kids. Each of them seemed to be following in the teenagers footsteps. After a moment, they veered off the path, and towards a shining lake._

_The little kids peeked around curiously, as though they didn't know what to do. The teenager laughed, and waved his hand towards the lake. Several of the little kids squealed, as they hurried down towards the lake. A few of the other kids stayed behind, playing 'lifeguard' for the little kids. The tall teen glanced over, and noticed one of the smaller kids sitting off to the side, crying._

_He quickly walked towards the young boy. As he got closer, the little boy noticed him, and tried to quickly dry his eyes. The teen laughed. "What's the problem?"_

_The little boy tried to cover his knee, but failed as the wound was bleeding through his hands. The teen sighed, and placed his hand on the wound. After another moment, he removed his hand from his knee, reveling that the wound was no longer there. The little boy smiled. "You're so cool Nii-san!"_

_The teen looked a little shocked, but softened as he leaned closer to the boy. "And you will one day grow truly strong…_ Naruto, Naruto wake up."

Naruto stirred in his sleep. The dream was far to real to be just a dream, but he couldn't figure out what it was. Deciding that he'd have to figure it out later, he quickly pushed himself from sleep.

As his eyes opened, he silently wished he hadn't. The light seemed much brighter than it normally was, and the smell of blood seemed to be lingering all around. Naruto slowly sat up, wincing as he felt several little pains in his chest. He slowly glanced around at his surroundings. He could tell that he was in a hospital simply by the smell. He liked the smell of cleanliness, but there was a clashing smell against it.

Naruto glanced over to the side, seeing Sarutobi, sitting in a chair, smoking a pipe. He seemed to be in deep thought, as his hat was shadowing his eyes. There was a long silence, and Naruto eventually decided that he couldn't take it anymore. "Smoking is bad for the patients Hokage-jiji."

Sarutobi nearly jumped up. He hadn't notice Naruto wake up, and was pleased to see how much Naruto seemed to have recovered. Of course, he was going to have to do something about his eye problem. Any bright person could easily figure out what might be going on. It didn't help that, after he'd slept a little, the whisker-marks on the left side of his face were a lot darker.

"Um Hokage-jiji, how long have I been out?" Naruto asked, cocking his head from side to side.

Sarutobi hung his head. _Should I really tell him? I mean, it might shock him at how long he's been out. Plus, I have to tell him about the Kyuubi…him and all of Konoha. Well, won't that be fun._

"Hokage-jiji? Hello, is anyone there?" Naruto said, waving his hand in front of Sarutobi's face, snapping him out of his trance. Sarutobi smiled for a moment, but quickly lost it at the thought of what he was going to expose Naruto to.

"Naruto, what I'm going to tell you, will probably change your life." Naruto leaned forward, somewhat eager to hear what Sarutobi had say. "First of all, you had the Kyuubi sealed within you."

Naruto stared blankly at Sarutobi as a long silence ensued. Naruto finally got bored with the silence. "Um Hokage-jiji, are you trying to avoid the question?"

Sarutobi nearly face-vaulted. You could take any other kid, and tell them that, and get them screaming to high heaven. But then you get Naruto, who simply brushes it off. After reorienting himself, he his attention back to Naruto. "Um, Naruto? Why are you so, calm? I just told you that the Kyuubi was sealed within you, and you're taking it rather well."

Naruto shrugged. "I've made a living off getting around people by listening to what they say and using it against them. You're speaking in past tense, so it _was_ sealed within me. So that means that something else must've happened."

Sarutobi smiled. "You're sharp Naruto. Yes, it was sealed within you. But some people believe that it somehow got out."

"WHAT?!" Naruto cried out. _Now_, he was freaked out. "What do you mean the Kyuubi got out?"

Sarutobi waited for his ears to stop ringing before he continued on. "I said it's a theory. The other, is that it fused with you. That would mean that you and the Kyuubi are one entity, with you in control. Of course, that would explain your face."

"What's wrong with my face?" Naruto asked, cocking his head. Before Sarutobi could do anything, Naruto jumped off the bed and ran to the nearest mirror. After a moment of looking over his darker whiskers, and slitted red eye, he glanced back at Sarutobi. "Um, this is weird."

Sarutobi nodded. "Yes, it is. Now, I'm going to have to tell all of Konoha, and make sure that they believe that you are completely in control."

Naruto shook his head, feeling a spike of pain shoot through it. "You should tell my version. It might make more sense."

Sarutobi cocked his head from side to side. "Um, what do you mean?"

Naruto glanced up at Sarutobi. "I'm talking about what I saw in Tsukuyomi. The Kyuubi was split in half. One half got out, while the other part fused with me."

Sarutobi blinked. It made a little sense, like how they were all still alive after hearing the Kyuubi's roar. It would also explain why half of his face had changed, instead of the full thing. And, on an even brighter note, it would mean that not only would he be able to keep Naruto from confinement for looking like the Kyuubi. There was no way the council could get him for this.

Naruto cocked his head. With the way Sarutobi was grinning, he could only assume that there was something good going to happen. Slowly, a small smile reached his face. He just hoped that Sarutobi was right.

But then, another thought crashed through his mind. "Hokage-jiji, when are you going to tell me how long I was out?"

Sarutobi stopped grinning and turned to Naruto. "Naruto…you were in a coma for two weeks."

Naruto was silent. Two weeks. He'd been in a coma, for two weeks. There were only two words to sum up his situation. "Oh shit."

"Yes, oh shit would sum up your situation very well." Sarutobi said, looking at the star-struck boy. After a moment's pause, he figured telling him the next bit of information wouldn't be as bad, as he was in his own world. "Naruto, you nearly died several times during your coma. I had to have ANBU watch over the doctors to make sure they didn't try to pull the plug on you."

While it wasn't obvious, Naruto felt his heart plummet. They hated him. In some corner of his mind, he could tell that they were wrong, but the pain blocked that part out. The only thing that went through his mind was that he'd been vulnerable, and if Sarutobi hated him, he would've been dead long ago.

He turned over to Sarutobi. He was looking on with compassion, and with curiosity. Naruto gave him a small smile. Then, without warning, he got up and walked towards the door. Sarutobi got up as well, but didn't pursue him. He knew that he needed time to be alone, to think things over.

As he exited the room, Naruto sighed. "Thank you…Hokage-jiji."

Even though he knew his words wouldn't reach him, Sarutobi smiled. "No problem…and Naruto, grow strong."

x X x

"And that is what really happened."

Sarutobi looked over the crowd. He could tell from the amount of talking that he'd hit a cord with them. While he'd wanted Naruto to live a normal life, it wasn't going to go over well now. While people might let up on him a little, it wasn't likely.

It had been two days since Sarutobi had told Naruto, and he hadn't been seen throughout the entire village. Even when a giant mob ransacked his home, he was nowhere in sight. Sarutobi was beginning to get a little worried, but was confident that everything would be alright.

Naruto was actually still in the village, just not where everyone thought he might be. He was sitting in the middle of an abandoned dojo, sitting just on the outskirts of Konoha. There was all sorts of different training equipment scattered throughout the dojo, and Naruto had been working non-stop.

When he'd first arrived, the place was a disaster area. Dirt had collected, and the equipment had been scattered everywhere, as if someone had left in a hurry. Naruto, feeling the need to do something, got to work. He'd completely cleaned all the dust up, and put everything back to their normal places. When he looked in the back, Naruto found there was a few shipments of different weapons, scrolls on different training methods, and training clothing. Naruto had put this into the back of his mind as he'd organized them.

Now though, Naruto was beginning to realize, he had way too much time on his hands. He was walking on the roof, polishing and scrubbing it till it. He didn't know why he should do it, he'd just gotten bored.

But there was something else that was bothering him. That dream he'd had two days ago, had come back the past two nights, and several times during the day. They'd all cut out at the same spot, and no matter what he did, he couldn't remember who the teen was talking to.

Sighing, Naruto hopped down from the roof. "I'm going into town. Maybe I'll be able to find some way to have fun." He said, to no one in particular as he walked away.

Naruto was quickly within the city, and barely noticed the sudden change in events. Some people had loathing looks in their eyes, as though they were thinking about doing very mean things to him. While others, mostly the younger generation, seemed to be simply curios about his new situation. It didn't help that his eye now looked very similar to the Kyuubi's.

After a couple of moments, a man bumped into him. Naruto shrugged it off, and continued on, but the man didn't seem to have that sort of opinion.

"Hey you, watch where you're going!" He yelled as he grabbed Naruto by the back of his shirt. Once they were eye level, Naruto could see the evil grin he seemed to be hiding. "If you don't respect your elders, then it's no wonder you're trash!"

Naruto felt something within him stir. His prankster self seemed to be taking an interest in this man, as he yelled at him about demons, and trash. Finally, Naruto felt something click in his mind, bringing a large smile to his face. When the man noticed, he glared at him. "What are you smiling at, demon?"

"You're going to be the first." Naruto said, his grin widening. Everyone in the plaza seemed to freeze at these words, and the man looked dumbstruck.

"W-What did you say?"

"You're going to be the first." Naruto said plainly, staring at his face for a moment.

"I've decided that I'm not going to take crap like this. But the punishment will be of my choosing. And that will be in the form of…" he trailed off, giving the man a menacing look.

Everyone suddenly backed away, some people even ran home. They remembered the pure killing intent that had come when the Kyuubi attacked and could feel something similar welling up.

"Some kind of prank."

Everyone in the plaza sweat dropped. _That_ was his evil plan? The man let out a loud laugh, and soon other people joined in. Naruto just smirked as he saw a rat by the man's foot.

The man laughed for another minute, before wiping his eye. "You're something kid. What are you going to do? Prank us to death?"

Naruto smile widened. "Eat this!"

Before anyone could react, Naruto had slipped from the man's grip, and grabbed the rat. Seeing that his fly was open, Naruto shoved the rat down his pants. The man was dancing around for several minutes, trying to get the rat out. By the time he did, Naruto had left, and the poor man's reputation had been destroyed.

When Sarutobi later heard of this, he laughed and said that he wasn't sure whether to call it a prank, or sweet revenge.

x X x

Naruto glanced around the dojo. The dojo had all sorts of different stuff, but it was in a horrible location. He glanced back toward the Hokage Mountain with a small smile. After a moment, he closed his eyes. "I know you can't hear me, Hokage-jiji. But I promise, I'll become a strong ninja. I'll become the strongest Hokage ever."

AN: To all 16 of you who have currently put this onto your alert list, please review! I live for response from readers, and feel drained without them! Heck, I'm one of the few who actually would encourage flamers to flame me! So please, review in some form of way!!

Thank you for reading this short message, you may now do as you please.


	3. Ambush

Shattered Demon I: Oni Seppan

Chapter 3: Ambush

"Alright, that's all for today." Iruka said, glancing at all of the different kids in his class. "Don't forget, the Genin exams are tomorrow, so be prepared. Otherwise, you're dismissed."

There was a loud cheer, as all of the kids began to file out. There was a lot of talking as they left. Some were nervous, while others were confident in there abilities. All of the fangirls were yelling about how they would pass and get on Sasuke's team, and how he'd pass with flying colors. And then…there was Naruto.

Naruto had grown over the past five years. He was always wearing a neon orange jumpsuit, with a pair goggles on his head. He'd become Konoha's prankster, and a nuisance to all those who he'd pranked. Most of the time he wasn't even in class, and when he was, he was a troublemaker. He'd always leave by the nearest window, telling of the different people who he needed to prank that day. But one of his weaknesses was that he couldn't pull off any of the Academy jutsu's. Despite all of this, he constantly shouted about how he'd become Hokage, and make them respect him for him.

Iruka sighed. Naruto was headed towards the window, as always. "Naruto, what are you going to do today? You do know what we're doing for the testing tomorrow, right?"

Naruto grinned a fox-like grin, and sheepishly scratched the back of his head. "Iruka-sensei, I've got a busy schedule today. Someone threatened Ichiraku again, and Teuchi asked me to report it to Hokage-jiji."

Iruka nodded. Ichiraku was the only place that would willingly feed Naruto unpoisoned food, and that ticked off some people. In their minds, they were only helping to strengthen the Kyuubi for its return.

It sickened him how short-sighted they were. After all this time, couldn't they see that Naruto couldn't be anything other than a boy? He silently hoped that Naruto would be able to become Hokage, just to prove them wrong.

"Well Naruto, be careful. You know how some people can be." Iruka said, glancing at the window that Naruto was hanging out of. Naruto grinned at him.

"Don't worry Iruka-sensei! I'm almost done with something that will make things easier for myself." Naruto grinned, and then looked at a clock on the opposite wall. "Oh, crap I'm going to be late! Bye Iruka-sensei!"

"Naruto - " Iruka cried out, only to realize that Naruto had already dropped from the window. Iruka ran to the window, watching Naruto run away. Iruka stared after him for a moment before sighing. "Be careful."

"Careful Iruka, sounds like you're getting attached."

Iruka turned to the person, a small smile on his face. "Hello Mizuki."

Mizuki grinned, and slapped Iruka on the shoulder. "Iruka, how's Naruto been doing? I'm sure that under your, help, he's getting along."

Iruka sighed. "Well, his control sucks, and I can never seem to find him whenever he's training. Of course, that's only when he's not pranking. He's very easy to catch, for me at least."

Mizuki nodded. It was common knowledge that Iruka was the only person who seemed able to catch Naruto. Which was exactly why Mizuki was there now.

"Iruka, the other Chunnin chose me to find you to give you a proposition." Iruka glanced over as Mizuki continued on. "We're planning on getting the demon while he sleeps tonight, before he can be protected as a Genin. We don't want to take any chances, and need you if he gets away."

Iruka looked startled. They were planning to do something like that to Naruto, and wanted him to help? He knew only one way to answer that.

"I'll do it." Iruka said, glancing down.

Mizuki grinned. "Good, we'll pick you up at seven."

Iruka just nodded as Mizuki left. Once he knew he was gone, Iruka quickly left the room. He'd have to get ready, or bad things could happen to those Naruto, and he couldn't bare it if something happened. He'd just have to get him to safety when he got out of the fires. And if he didn't…he quickly pushed that thought out of his mind, he didn't want to deal with that consequence.

x X x

As Naruto jumped over the houses, he felt a little chill run down his spine. He quickly shrugged it off. He was close to the Hokage's tower, and needed to focus on that for now.

Naruto ran up the stairs, ignoring the glares he was getting from the Chunnin he passed. He'd outsmarted so many Chunnin, he was a little surprised that they'd gotten as far as they had. Who, in their right mind, followed an 'enemy' into an area he'd chosen and prepared?

"Hokage-jiji! Hokage-jiji, I have something to tell you!" Naruto yelled as he approached the Hokage's door. He'd long learned to warn whoever was in the room he was coming before barging in.

As he walked in, he was surprised to find that Sarutobi was hurriedly trying to hide something. It was all in vain, as Naruto saw the cover, and gave him a skeptical look. "Really Hokage-jiji, Icha Icha Paradise? Are you really willing to sink that low?"

"Oh shut up." Sarutobi said, pulling his hat down to cover his eyes. "Not everyone here is as anti-pervert as you are. In fact, it's almost encouraged by most of the male populace."

Naruto sighed. "When I see the author of those books, I'll make sure to kick his balls in."

Sarutobi gave a quick chuckle. Naruto had always seemed to be like that, after he met several of the anti-pervert women of Konoha. They'd taken to him, as he wasn't a pervert, _yet_, and therefore good to be taught. Sarutobi then remembered something. "Naruto, what was it that you had to tell me?"

Naruto scratched his head for a moment, before snapping his fingers. "Now I remember! Ichiraku was threatened again. This time, they said that if they didn't listen to their demands, they'd try to take out their business."

Sarutobi sighed. "They are the only people who you and I can trust with your well-being, so it's obvious that they wouldn't want you to gain confidence." Sarutobi quickly leaned forward and stared into Naruto's eyes. "Can you tell me how many Anbu are hiding here?"

Naruto nodded. "Eight. Two are hiding in the walls, four outside the window, one behind your chair, and one is above the door."

With a small grumble, the Anbu dropped out of their hiding places. Sarutobi smirked. "You got it exactly right again, and without glancing around this time."

Naruto nodded. "You know that I've been practicing. If I didn't, then my new style would be worthless. Besides, just sensing Anbu is difficult."

"Thank you for the compliment, but the fact that you can still sense us is a mark on our pride." A dog masked Anbu said, glancing away. It was obvious that he didn't like the fact that they, the elite, had once again been found out by a young boy.

"Oh give the boy a break, he's been practicing chakra sensing for years now. Honestly though, sensing is much easier than trying to mask your chakra." A bird masked Anbu said. By the voice alone, one could easily guess that she was a female. Of course, that was for non-perverts.

"Oh come on, you're just saying that because you like him." A monkey masked Anbu said, poking fun at her.

Naruto gave a small laugh, bringing all of the attention back to him. "I'm sorry, it's just that when you are relaxed like this, I have a hard time remembering that you're the elite. It reminds me how human you are." He then gave a small smile, which had mixed results.

For the men, they just gave a more relaxed feeling. For the girls, they went somewhat gaga over him, shouting about how cute he was when he smiled like that as they knocked him to the floor. This of course, brought laughs from the men, who were enjoying the torture that Naruto was enduring. This went on for several moments until Sarutobi finally managed to bring their attention back to him.

"Crow, Dog, Monkey, and Horse, I want you to pick some people out to watch Ichiraku. The next time their threatened, we need to know who they are, and who they're with." The four Anbu nodded, and Sarutobi pulled out a file. Seeing the file, Naruto began to walk out. "Naruto, I think you'd better hear this next part."

Naruto slowly turned around. He'd rarely been allowed to hear pieces of information, and quickly put himself on edge. "What is it, Jiji?"

Sarutobi narrowed his eyes. Naruto only dropped the 'Hokage' part, when he was giving his full attention. And he had every reason to be serious. "Monkey and Crow were on a recent recon mission, and found several groups of Chunnin gathering. They are planning on killing you, today."

Naruto nodded. He'd been threatened before, and so it wasn't all that surprising that there was another attempt being made. Naruto glanced over at the Hokage. "I don't need Anbu, I just need to find a safe place to stay. Of course, my training grounds would easily do for that."

Sarutobi nodded. He'd never seen Naruto's training grounds, but he did know that if he didn't no one else would. It could be perfect, if he wasn't followed. "You do know that _all_ the Chunnin are going to be watching you, from the time you leave the building, to the time you get there."

Naruto grinned. "If they try to follow me, they'd better be ready to be in a world of pain. I've got traps set all throughout the forest, so anyone following me would probably get hurt. Now, if they were to watch for Anbu, they might catch me."

Sarutobi's eyes widened. "You don't mean…"

Naruto nodded. "I'll go out as Anbu, while someone else will leave as me. They will lead them in another direction, while I head towards my training grounds. And if you were to set up some sort of ambush, you could catch the people trying to hurt me."

Sarutobi nearly slapped his head. He'd thought of the idea as well, but there were obvious dangers. If someone saw through the Henge, they could easily catch him. And according to Academy records, Naruto couldn't pull off the Henge to save his life. Of course, none of them were good friends of his.

"Henge!" Naruto and another Anbu called out, quickly swapping places with each other. They were perfect replications of each other.

Sarutobi stood up. "Rat, get a team to follow Ram to the ambush point. Naruto, don't come out till morning, understand?"

"Hai!" Naruto and Rat called out, both running out the window, while 'Naruto' walked out the normal way.

When 'Naruto' got out, he quickly sensed the Chunnin following him. A small grin crossed his face. "Catch me, if you can."

x X x

Iruka glanced around. "What am I doing here?"

Mizuki glanced back at him. "Don't worry, in a few moments, the demon will be gone."

Iruka sighed. "But is it really right? I mean, he'd just a boy."

Mizuki growled at Iruka, pointing the torch he was holding towards Iruka's face. "Don't tell me you've gotten attached to him. After all, you do remember what he is, and who he's killed?"

Iruka winced. Mizuki had been using that same line over and over that night. It almost made it hurt more from bringing up those painful memories. He shook his head. He was almost to far in to get out, and he honestly knew that the Chunnin wouldn't ever look at him the same when they found out what he'd planned.

"There he is!" Mizuki whispered excitedly.

Iruka glanced down. Naruto had run out into the middle of the forest, and was glancing around. As he looked on, he could only watch as Naruto looked directly at him. His breath caught. He was afraid of what could happen if Naruto had seen him, and there was was, looking directly at him. He was close to exploding, when Naruto finally glanced away. But the feeling stayed.

"Mizuki, I'm out." Iruka said, hopping back into another tree.

"What!?" Mizuki whispered as loudly as he dare. Did Iruka just say what he thought he'd said? "We need you!"

"I know, but I just can't do it anymore. I'm out" Iruka said, quickly jumping away.

Mizuki's eyes narrowed. No one was allowed to just leave. He quickly pulled out a giant shuriken from off his back. He was going to make sure that Iruka couldn't tell anyone.

Just as he was about to throw it, a firm hand appeared on his hand. Mizuki glanced back angrily, only to find himself looking directly at a member of Anbu. "What…?" Was all he got out before the Anbu chopped the back of his neck, knocking him out.

"It's an ambush!" Another Chunnin cried out, and chaos erupted in the forest.

Several of the more experienced Chunnin pulled off some Katon jutsu's. As there wasn't a water supply nearby, it would make it harder to put them out. Two of the Anbu flashed through some seals, and slammed their hands on the ground. A large wall of earth rose up, blocking the Katon techniques. At the same time, 'Naruto' had dropped his Henge, and joined in the fight. Even though they weren't using lethal force, the Anbu group's ambush had broken enough ground to begin scattering them.

Having finally realized that they were seriously outmatched, a few of the smarter Chunnin ran off. Those that stayed behind, didn't stand up for more than a moment or two. The Anbu forces glanced around. At least a quarter of Konoha's Chunnin forces were scattered through the clearing, with several others scattering themselves. They wouldn't be able to prove anything, about anyone.

Of course, those who were there, might just rat out those who weren't there. And for those who wouldn't crack that easily, would be sent to more, experienced, interrogators. And knowing some of the Chunnin themselves, several of the Anbu felt a little sorry for the poor guys. Ibiki and Anko were going to have a field day.

x X x

Naruto glanced around. He really didn't have to, as he'd already checked the area for intruders, but it was always good to give the place a once over. The surrounding area was normal, a thick, endless forest. But the area for his training grounds was much more extraordinary. It was a large waterfall, that seemed to crash endlessly down into the small stream. It was behind this waterfall, that his training grounds started.

Carefully maneuvering behind the waterfall, Naruto found himself in the familiar settings of a cave. Quickly moving to the back of the cave, he bit his thumb and rubbed some blood on a seal as he passed it. As it began to glow, several others followed suite, and reveled a large door. Naruto moved up to the door, and placed a little more blood on the door, and waited. After a moment, it slowly creaked open.

Naruto rushed into the door, and down a flight of stairs. Within moments, he was in a long tunnel network, that seemed to extend miles underground. Naruto glanced around, before heading off to the dojo.

Inside the dojo, there wasn't really much to look at when you first walked in. But once you unlocked the seals, there was a huge amount of different equipment, ranging from simple close combat weapons, to elaborate training puppets. These puppet were what Naruto immediately headed for.

He'd been working underground for the past four years, after spending a year underground building the tunnels, and obtaining supplies. This was one of the only places where he could truly relax, and take off the mask he was constantly wearing. Even in front of the Hokage, he rarely showed his true self, relying more on what people already knew.

Slowly but surely, he took off that mask. Underneath it all, he almost the complete opposite of what he acted. He was much more calm, and collected. His eyes lost their 'idiot' look, and took on one of a wary creature. He took off his orange jumpsuit, and changed into some training clothes. They were really simple, as he didn't want restricted movement. Rather than wear orange, he wore a black gi. It was one of the simpler clothing's he'd wear, but it would do for the warm-ups.

Walking over to the puppets, he pushed some chakra into one of the seals on the wall. Almost instantly, they all sprung to life, and started over towards him. Naruto reached up, and pulled his goggles down. The goggle had only one purpose in his training: to block his vision. When he'd first gotten them, he'd taken a black spray paint, and sprayed it on the lenses to block his vision. He'd long learned not to trust his sense of sight, and took to sensing viva the ears, and through chakra sensing.

After a moment of waking up, one of the puppets swung its arm and slammed Naruto into a nearby wall. Naruto didn't bother to do anything, as he flew straight into the wall. After a couple of seconds, Naruto hopped out of the hole. He twisted his back a little, and checked where he'd been hit on his body. "I reacted instantly. And note to self; getting hit into a wall is a good way to wake up."

As he finished speaking, several of the puppets began to launch their arms at him at high speeds. Once again, Naruto took the hits, as he was ploughed into the wall again. Naruto glanced up from behind a wall of puppet arms. _That was new…good, the seal is changing their movements around._

Naruto let a small smirk escape him. "Well, I guess it's time for a counterattack." He shoved against the wall, giving himself a little more wiggle room, and jumped out of the hole. The puppets watched him get out of the hole, and those who hadn't shot their arms rushed towards him, while the rest reeled in their arms.

Unfortunately for one of them, they weren't fast enough. Naruto jumped down, landing straight on the rope to its arm. As it tried to pull it back, Naruto picked up the rope and gave it a sharp tug. As it wasn't able to expect it, the puppet was pulled off its feet, and into the air. Naruto quickly moved into his own attack, as he twirled the puppet around. Several of the puppets noticed the flying puppet, and moved to a better place to attack, but most of the others weren't so lucky.

The flying puppet slammed into most of the other puppets reeling in their arms. As Naruto felt the puppet hit, he released it and moved on towards the other, advancing puppets. The first one he approached quickly began a barrage of hits, trying in vain to hit him. Naruto just dodged and rolled around, 'looking' for an opening. But even as he did so, he kept track of the other puppets.

As one of them tried to pull a sneak attack from behind him, Naruto pulled himself around and roundhouse kicked it in the back of the knee. There was a loud pop, as he dislocated its knee. Even as it collapsed, Naruto had used his previous momentum, and reversed it, aiming another kick for the previous puppets shoulder. It connected with a loud crack. Naruto winced, he hadn't wanted to break the puppet's head. He just shrugged and moved onto the next opponent.

Within several minutes, he had defeated the small group of puppets. Slowly, Naruto lifted the goggles to the top of his head. The damage wasn't as bad as he'd thought, just three or four puppets were somewhat damaged, while the remaining fourteen were in pretty decent conditions. Naruto sighed, and walked out of the room. "That's enough of that for now." He said, to no one in particular.

Naruto slowly moved into another room, surveying the different weapon seals. With a small smile, he walked over to the nearest one. "Well then, let's get started then."

**A/N: Thank you to all of you who have currently reviewed. Now, I need you all to help me with something...who should Naruto be paired with?! The poll starts, now!**

**Thank you for reading my story. I'll take anything you give me, and use it to better myself. So please, review.**


	4. Genin Exam

Shattered Demon I: Oni Seppan

Special thanks to Kray-kun and those who've beta'd. With their help, I'll be able to rule the world!!

Diclaimer: I really want to own Naruto, but I don't :( NOW ON WITH THIS CHAPTER!!

Chapter 4: Genin Exam

The walls seemed to echo with his footsteps, as Naruto walked through the tunnel. He'd just finished close combat, target practice, and several other weapon based exercises. Three years ago, he'd be on the ground exhausted, but he'd long since grown accustomed to stressful conditions. And the funny part was, he'd just been doing light taijutsu exercises.

After several moments past, he came to a halt. The path he was on had broken into six paths. After slowly considering each of them, he decided to go down the middle path. It was time he did some revisions to some of his, previous works.

A small smile crossed his face as he entered the room. There was a little dust, from not using it for a while, but he had time to fix that. This room in particular, was the one place where everything was right.

He glanced around at several of the unlit lanterns and sighed. He was almost engulfed by the dark, which wasn't a good thing. After all, how was he supposed to get anything done in his library without much light?

After making his way around the room, he relit a couple lanterns before walking over to one of the shelf. "Let's see…Jutsu's for Idiots, Chakra Control for Beginners, Advanced Control, All About ANBU...Ah! Here it is; Uzumaki Fighting Style: Edition 1!"

He quickly pulled the book from the shelf, and walked over to the desk. As he set it on the table, a fine layer of dust rose around him. He sighed. _I really need to dust more._ He thought, as he opened the book.

Inside were his personal writings. Granted, he'd written them when he was nine and ten, they were still good. He slowly glanced over the different parts of is, silently scoffing at several parts. "I'm surprised that I've made it this far. There are at least seventeen different errors in my first versions." He let out a small sigh. "I'd better get to work. I've got a long night ahead of me."

x X x

Iruka glanced at the class. There was a loud murmur throughout the class, as many of them were discussing what had gone on that night. Some were saying that it was a conspiracy, while others thought it was an accident. But they all agreed on one thing; Mizuki was a part of it.

Iruka silently thanked whatever Kami had gifted him that night. Not only had he gotten away _before_ the fighting began, but he'd actually gotten back without a problem. That and he didn't have to go to see Ibiki and Anko. Anko in particular scared him

In the back of his mind however, an internal dispute was raging. A part of him wished to apologize to Naruto, seeing as he'd seen him in the forest. But another part kept telling him that he was paranoid, and that he shouldn't tell him that he was apart of the Chunnin who hated him.

"Silence!" A voice called out, startling Iruka. Standing in the front of the classroom, was Naruto. He had his hands up, a look of shock in his eyes. The entire class had gone silent, as they stared at Naruto. After a moment, Naruto broke the silence, scratching the back of his head. "Wow, I wasn't sure if that would work."

Iruka face-faulted at the statement. _He_ was the one who was supposed to call the class to attention. But he'd been so caught up in his thoughts, that he completely missed Naruto entering.

"Um, thank you Naruto. Would you please sit down now?" Iruka said, picking himself up. Naruto shrugged and walked up to his seat. Iruka quickly straightened up. "All right class today is the Genin exams. The first part is…a written exam. You will have an hour to complete it, so get ready."

There were several out cries at this, as most of the kids hadn't taken the time to study 'useless information'. Sasuke was smug, and Sakura was relaxed. They were both smart enough to get this done, and were certain that they would pass with the highest grades.

After passing out the sheets, Iruka told them to begin. Sasuke and Sakura were flying by on their papers. Naruto just turned his paper over and set his head down. He'd been up all night making revisions, and he was to tired to do this part of the exam. Besides, it was only thirty percent of his grade. The minimum requirement was at least sixty points. Fifty points were made up by the three academy jutsu's, so he wasn't really worried.

After forty-five minutes, Iruka finally noticed Naruto sleeping. Quickly getting besides him, he yelled in his ear. "Naruto, wake up! You've got to take the exam!"

Several of the nearby kids snickered. It had taken him a long time to realize that Naruto was asleep. And not only that, but Naruto was really slow to wake up, taking his sweet time to do so. After taking several moments to stretch out, he turned to Iruka. "Good morning Iruka-sensei. Um, why are you in my house again?"

Iruka face-faulted yet again. He'd been so into his sleep that he'd forgotten about the test? This was almost too much for him. "Naruto, you're in the middle of the Genin Exam! You only have ten minutes to complete it, so get working!"

"Alright, alright. Don't get your underwear in a twist." Naruto said, turning his paper over and starting on it. He barely got through ten questions when Iruka told them to turn their papers over. "Well, that was a waste of time, wasn't it?"

Iruka held in his anger, as he directed them to go outside for shuriken practice. Several moments later there was chaos running around. Most of the kids were randomly throwing their shuriken before he'd told them too. After finally getting them to stop, he told them to line up, and to start throwing.

Sasuke was as he knew he'd be, perfect. Almost of his shuriken were within the bull's-eye, if not directly in the bull's-eye, with a few others lying close, but not within it.. Some of the kids did really well, while others weren't even able to hit the targets. And, towards the end, Naruto stepped up.

Naruto took a deep breath, and threw his first shuriken. It hit really close to the center, but not entirely dead on. Taking it into rhythm, he threw kunai after kunai, with most of them getting close to the center, with two that actually made it in. Naruto grinned on the outside. _I really hate missing like this. I mean, these targets aren't even moving!_ He thought, as he walked back inside.

Iruka frowned. As he watched Naruto's throwing, he'd noticed two things. One, the way he was throwing should've made it hit dead on every time. And two, he was looking away from the target, almost as if he didn't want to hit the bull's-eye. He didn't understand why, but he knew that if Naruto had tried, he might've gotten a much higher score. He'd have to talk with him later.

Naruto mentally banged his head against the nearest wall. Waiting for his turn was probably worse than anything he'd ever done before. He almost wished he could be like Shikamaru, and not really care about it so that he wouldn't get a headache. And it wasn't that he didn't trust his abilities, he just was having a hard time waiting for _two hours._ The most he'd ever waited for something was an hour, and that was because Ichiraku didn't have any noodles at the time.

Finally, he heard his name called. Almost running into the room, he all but flung himself into the room.

Iruka glanced at him. "Alright Naruto, let me quickly explain the test. You will have to do the Henge, Kawarimi, and make three Bunshin's. Got it?"

Naruto nodded. "Um, Iruka-sensei, do I have to do them, in that order?"

Iruka blinked for a moment, before shrugging. "There's no rule against doing in your own order, so go ahead."

Naruto nodded, and grinned. "Bunshin no Jutsu!"

Iruka held his breath. This was Naruto's worst jutsu, having been the main reason for his past three failures. He watched, somewhat amazed, as Naruto _finally_ pulled it off. All of the different Naruto's looked pretty happy, just like the original, who was scratching the back of his head.

Naruto dismissed the clones. "Alright, now that I've got that off my chest: Henge!"

A small puff of smoke filled the area, temporarily obscuring Iruka's sight. When the smoke cleared however, he silently wished that Naruto had picked anyone, anyone but him to transform into.

Standing before him, was a perfect replica of Mizuki. Right down to his smug look, and Chunnin vest. 'Mizuki' glanced over at him. A small chill ran down his spine. He really didn't want to remember what had almost happened last night.

In Naruto's head, his thoughts were somewhere on the same lines. _Well, well, well. It appears that Iruka knew about what happened last night. But was he apart of it? Uh, stop thinking…just get on with the test!_

"Kawarimi!" Naruto shouted out, switching places with Iruka. While Iruka tried to figure out what happened, Naruto was looking over his previous scores. After mentally adding them up, he grinned. "Well, it appears as though I graduate, finally!"

Iruka walked behind Naruto with a small grin. He'd finally passed the test, after three years of failure. As he watched Naruto put the headband on, an idea came to him. "Well done Naruto. Hey, how about we celebrate tonight? What do you say to Ichiraku at six?"

Naruto released the Henge, and grinned at Iruka. He quickly gave him a flying hug, while shouting, "Thanks Iruka-sensei!"

Iruka just sat there, dazed. "You're welcome Naruto, you're welcome."

x X x

Iruka glanced over the seat next to him. Surprisingly enough, Naruto was late for ramen. He'd usually be there, yelling at Iruka for being late and not being able to get his 'glorious ramen'. It would be fine, if he were only a few minutes late. But when he was half an hour late, he was definitely pushing it.

"Iruka-sensei!" Iruka turned around to see Naruto running down the path. "Sorry I'm late." Iruka just sighed. He could easily guess that he'd taken a longer path to avoid some angry citizens, and possibly shinobi. They wouldn't be very happy to see he'd become a Genin.

Iruka resisted the urge to rub his head. He'd expected that this might happen, he just didn't expect it so soon. "Well, at least you're here now. Sit down, have as much ramen as you can eat."

"Really?" Naruto's eyes widened with a small sparkle in them. As Iruka nodded, Naruto jumped into the air. "Yatta! Thanks Iruka-sensei! Teuchi-san! One of everything!"

Iruka glanced into his pocked book. Seeing that he would almost be broke by buying that amount of ramen, he had anime tears running down his face. But then, he had promised Naruto he'd pay. It didn't make him feel any better.

After another couple of seconds, Iruka glanced over at Naruto. He really hadn't wanted to talk about this, but he wanted to make sure that his conscious to eat at him.

"N-Naruto." Iruka said, putting his bowl down. Naruto glanced over. "I want to tell you something, but I'm not quite sure how I should say this."

Naruto slurped the rest of his ramen. "Um, what is it Iruka-sensei?"

Iruka took a deep breath. His heart was pounding, and telling him to keep his mouth shut. But at the same time, he really didn't want to leave it laying on his mind. "Um, Naruto. I have a small…confession to make."

Naruto cocked his head. "What do you mean Iruka-sensei?"

Iruka took a deep breath. Why was this so hard? "Naruto, a lot of Chunnin's planned on killing you yesterday."

Naruto smiled. "I know."

"I mean, I was – Wait, what do you mean you know?!" Iruka said, turning to Naruto.

Naruto grinned. "Hokage-jiji knew all about it! He hid me in his room, and told an Anbu member to go in my place."

Iruka felt his mind shut down. Naruto was never there. Which meant that he hadn't been imagining it, the 'Naruto' had seen him. And if the Hokage got his report, there was no doubt that he'd be in a lot of trouble. "Oh boy, I'm in trouble." He slowly rubbed his face, trying to get rid of the incoming headache.

Naruto glanced over at him. "Um, what do you mean?"

Iruka glanced over at him, before putting his hands back on his face. "If you weren't there, then I was seen by Anbu. And since they'll ID me, I won't really last long for attacking a citizen, and if I don't, relieved of my duties, I'd have to testify against my fellow Chunnin. Either way, I don't have much of a happy ending." Iruka noticed Naruto scratched his chin thoughtfully. "What?"

"Well, I'm not really happy about this. I mean, you were with them, so you were a part of this." Naruto rubbed his head. It would be a lot to take in, if he hadn't already been informed of Iruka's presence earlier by several Anbu. He'd been told how Iruka had told Mizuki he didn't want any part in it, and ran off. Now, Naruto felt that it was time to return the favor. "You know, I know some people who could help you. All you'd have to do would be to give some information, and they wouldn't ask questions, or be able to say it was you." Naruto gave him his fox-like grin. "It would be totally off the record. And you would be safe from further investigation, I promise."

Iruka glanced over at him. "You know, I think I might take you up on that offer. It's pretty reasonable, but do you really know people who could help me? And why are you helping me?"

Naruto grin widened further. "Well, I'm pretty sure that the Hokage is a pretty good person to be acquainted with. That, and several Anbu told me about your involvement, and how you left before anything started. So that means you didn't really want to hurt me. Just consider us even for now."

Iruka could only stare at Naruto for several minutes, until finally, he too began smiling. After another moments silence, Naruto and Iruka started laughing. It was almost enlightening. It continued for several minutes before Ayame put another bowl of ramen in front of Naruto.

As soon as he'd finished eating that bowl, he looked over at the clock. "Oh crap! I'm going to be late!"

Iruka laughed again. "Where're you going? I didn't think you had anywhere to go today. Why are you leaving?"

Naruto grinned. "I need to get you out of your court date of course! Thanks Ayame-nee-chan! Thanks Teuchi-san! I'll see you soon!"

x X x

Anko glanced around. So many Chunnin had been captured, over one boy! Of course, being Naruto, she'd come to expect those sort of things. She was handsomely paid from all the idiots who she'd get because of him. Mentally, she hoped he'd stick around for a long time. He was like some kind of cash crop, and she didn't want to lose that extra pay.

As she walked through the ranks, she began to fell a small chill run down the back of her neck. Something was wrong, very wrong. For a while, she just shrugged it off. But the feeling got stronger, and was quickly making feel uncomfortable.

As she rounded the corner, she quickly noticed something. All of the chains, which she knew had been filled, were now empty. No one was there. Feeling a growing sense of dread, she opened the back door.

Just within her vision were at least eight Chunnin running as fast as they could. She was about to go after them, when she heard a groan from nearby. Turning towards the sound, she saw that Ibiki was injured. He was really torn up, with a small gash near his heart.

"Anko, they got out." He slowly breathed out. Anko knelt next to him, as he continued. "Mizuki and the people with him are going after Naruto. They won't stop until he's dead."

Anko rubbed her head. There were times when she hated her job, and this was one of them. "I'm going to get you medical attention right now."

Ibiki looked like he was about to refuse, but thought better of it. He did need it, and who was he to think he could talk Anko into leaving him?

x X x

It was seven at night, as Naruto bounced along towards the Hokage tower. He'd taken a little longer than needed to chat with Iruka, but it was worth it. He'd had the time of his life, feeling like never before. But as much as he wanted to put on his headband, he also wanted to wait till he could seal his goggles away safely.

After a moment, he was just outside of the tower. But instead of going in, he turned around. "Alright then. Whoever has been following me, come out!"

After a short pause, a small amount of laughter filled the area. "Hello, demon brat." Naruto's ears perked up. He knew that voice. "We're here to finish what we never started."

Naruto cocked his head. "Mizuki?"

There was a small hiss. Naruto barely had time to react, as a giant shuriken flew out from the bushes, and straight at him. He jumped over it, with barely enough room to spare. Of course, that was what the Chunnin had expected him to do.

All Naruto could do was watch, as one powerhouse of a man came flying from behind a building. The man threw a large fist at him, hitting him squarely in the gut. Naruto was sent flying back, crashing through the front door. While the man laughed, Naruto picked himself up. "Wow, I thought he'd hit me harder. Oh well."

The large Chunnin glared at him. He hadn't expected him to get up, but planned on making sure that he wouldn't.

Naruto's eyes widened, as seven other Chunnin joined the first, along with Mizuki. Mizuki grinned. "Surprised? You shouldn't be. We promised ourselves that you wouldn't be able to become a ninja, and were just here to keep that promise."

Naruto grimaced. "You know, I really think that you've forgotten something important."

One of the other nearby Chunnin laughed. "Oh, really? And what could we have possibly forgotten."

Naruto grinned. "This isn't my home, it's the Hokage tower."

They all blinked, looking up at the tower. As it finally clicked in their heads, a small sense of dread filled them. They could easily be caught. But this was quickly replaced by anger.

Naruto's grin widened as they looked back at him. "You know, there's only one thing left to do." Naruto do a deep breath, and let out a shrill whistle. They all looked somewhat confused, until they all felt a hand on their shoulders.

Standing behind them, were the Anbu that had taken them out the previous night. And just like the previous night, all Mizuki could say before they were all knocked unconscious was, "What…?"

Naruto grin returned, as he glanced at the Anbu. "Thanks, you guys saved my skin…again."

One of them just brushed it off. "You whistled for us, and we entered the fight. Of course, if you passed the Genin exams, we won't be able to do this any more."

Naruto nodded. "I'll just be glad when these guys are properly put behind bars. I mean, two times? Don't you think they should've gotten it the first time?"

The Anbu shrugged. "I don't think we should really discuss that right now. Anyways, you should probably go tell the Hokage the good news. After all that's been happening, he'll want some."

Naruto nodded, and quickly ran towards the Hokage's room.

Sarutobi rubbed his head. It was one thing to badger him, and verbally assault him, but when half of their Chunnin were in the torture unit for an obvious assassination plot, it took quite the chunk from them.

Behind him, one of the Anbu whispered something in his ear. After a brief pause, he let out a long sigh. "Yes, I understand. Make sure that it can't happen again."

As the Anbu used the Shunshin to leave, Naruto entered the room. He glanced at the floating leaves, before turning back to the Hokage. "Um, do I really want to know what you plan on doing with Mizuki?"

Sarutobi shook his head, quickly ending that conversation.

Naruto grinned grew again. "Hey, do you think you could get Iruka-sensei to give you information, without letting everyone know who told you?"

Sarutobi scratched his chin. "Well, I might be able to do that. But what would he be offering?"

Naruto shrugged. "I don't know, just a little information about who might've been leading the Chunnin's who attacked me."

Sarutobi perked up. That _was_ good information. "Well, I guess we will do that. Just tell him to come in, tomorrow after he's told all the graduated students who their new senseis are." There was a defining silence, as Sarutobi realized what he'd said. He gave a quick cough, before smiling sheepishly at Naruto. "So Naruto, did you pass the Genin Exam?"

Naruto grinned and pulled out his new Konoha headband. Almost immediately, the eight Anbu in the room reveled themselves to congratulate him. A small amount of pride filled him, as each of them gave him their complements. For a moment, it almost felt like he was in a family, a small, lethal family. And when the feeling didn't pass, he decided to have a little fun for the moment.

Four of them promised that, whenever they had the chance, they'd teach him some cool stuff. The other four, just gave little gifts. One of them gave him a pair of chakra enhanced knives. They apparently had seals on them that let them channel chakra. The second gift was an Anbu discount for all stores. He was really grateful for this, as all the stores heavily overpriced him, and Anbu got most stuff half off. It would definitely make his life easier. The third gift was a bracelet covered in seals. The bracelet was basically a 'hand-held' storage device. The final gift…was a kiss from one of the kunochi. He would later say, that overall, while the others would be more useful in the future, that the kiss was by far his favorite gift.

Of course, when she did kiss him, all of the guys tried to give him the Icha Icha Paradise book to, 'explain what was happening'. This of course, gave them a one way trip to the fetal position, as the kunochi kicked them, 'where the sun don't shine'. Naruto took a mental note of this, to make sure that he wouldn't be hit there. If it looks painful, it is painful.

After another couple of moments of messing around, Sarutobi gave a quick cough. Everyone in the room stopped what they were doing and looked over at him. "Well, Naruto, I'm not sure what to say. You're a Genin now, and will report under a Jonin sensei until you get a higher rank. As such, I hope you become strong enough to do so." He held out a small glass of sake. "To Uzumaki Naruto, Genin of Konoha!"

The Anbu made the same gesture, and drank down their glasses as well. Naruto found the ceiling to suddenly be entertaining, as he tried not to laugh. It just sounded so corny.

He glanced over at each of the Anbu. He'd known them for the past four years, and they'd grown into what might've been considered a family. Giving him tips whenever he needed them; helping support him when he was beat on. They were his best friends, and the only people who'd glimpsed, the _real_ him.

Naruto, ignoring everyone in the room, walked over to the window behind the Hokage's desk. He looked over all the Hokage's, a small grin crossing his face. He raised his fist in the air, like he had, five years ago. "Hokage's, I promised that I'd become a strong ninja, and then the best Hokage ever. Now, watch over me, as I've finally reached the first step to my goal." Naruto's smile widened, as he put his hand down.

"Hey, Naruto!" Naruto snapped his head around to Sarutobi, who was standing at the door. All of the Anbu had left the room, leaving him looking out the window. "If you don't come now, you'll miss all the cake and other goodies!"

Naruto's eyes widened. "CAKE?!" Without a second word, he flew off to the cake, laughing as he did so.

**A/N: Yes, I'm a sugar nut, and made Naruto one to. SO SUE ME! (please don't I'm limited on money :P)**

**Main reason for doing this, pocky. In several different stories, Naruto is a pocky nut, and it's pretty funny! That, and when I wrote this chapter, I was busy eating cake. :)**

**If you have any questions about my sanity, please review! I might just answer your questions... :P**

**FINAL NOTE: My goal is for over 50 reviews after this chapter. The only way to achieve it...is if you people review! So please, don't sit back and laugh at this silly plea, help me! Besides, is it really to much to ask?**

**Thank you. Ja ne!**


	5. Sasuke & Sakura

**Special thanks to Kray-kun, and my loyal fans!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto , so stop asking!**

Chapter 5: Sasuke & Sakura

Sarutobi glanced around the room. The small gathering of Jonin sensei were with him, preparing to get a quick look at the kids who would be their students. "Please, have a seat."

"Um, how are we going to watch them from here again?" Asuma said, putting out his cigarette. He wasn't allowed to smoke in his fathers office, which usually made him really irritable. "And where's Kakashi? He's a Jonin, right? He should know better than to be late."

"Don't bother telling him that. He's late to anything and everything. If he was early, we'd know there was something wrong." Kurenai said, glancing at the Hokage.

"Alright, now that the bickering done, here we go." Sarutobi said, pulling out his crystal ball. As he set it on the table, it showed an Academy room. As they glanced through it, they quickly found the kids who could become their students.

A thought struck Kurenai. "Um Hokage-sama, can you see anywhere in Konoha?"

"Well, ya. I can even see a little outside of it when needed."

"I see." Kurenai said with a smile, an angry mark on her cheek. She couldn't prove anything, but she was pretty certain that the Hokage was a . And one of these days, he would get caught.

"Um, Hokage-sama? Isn't there something else you should give us?" Kakashi said, appearing in the window. "I'm sorry I'm late, I got attacked by a vicious dog, and went to the hospital to make sure I haven't gotten rabies."

Several other Jonin in the room sweat dropped. It was a lame excuse, as usual from Kakashi. The Hokage just smiled. "Don't worry Kakashi, you didn't miss anything yet."

"Oh good. I heard that there was an infamous prankster, and was hoping to see some of his work in action."

"Um, that doesn't look healthy. What is he doing?" Another Jonin said, pointing into the crystal ball.

All attention was quickly refocused on the ball. Surprisingly, what they saw wasn't what many expected.

"Ow, that looks like it hurts." Kakashi said.

"What the heck is he doing? That isn't sane." A random Jonin said. "He's banging his head against that desk so hard, it looks like it could break."

"He's single, right?" Anko said.

Everyone turned to her, and she glanced around. "What? Anyone who's that insane is boyfriend material in my books."

"Your books must be really thin then." Another random Jonin muttered under his breath. Said Jonin was quickly sent running, with Anko hot on his heals.

As soon as they got back, Anko had another look at the ball. She grinned. "Oh, it's him. Kurenai, I believe you've ruined my fun."

"Um, dad? Who is he?" Asuma said, ing his head from side to side.

"Well, his name is Uzumaki Naruto. And I believe he's on your team Kakashi." The Hokage said, glancing in his direction.

Kakashi sighed. "Well, this is interesting. Maybe being insane will help him pass my test. I just hope that someone in my group is sane."

The Hokage just chuckled. _Well Naruto, I guess you'll get to put your plan into action after all. And as an added bonus, you'll make them lose their sanity so fast, no one will remember what they were like when they were sane. Heck, I doubt anyone would be able to keep their sanity after what you've got planned._

_Why? Why? WHY?! _Naruto screamed in his head, banging it repeatedly against his desk. Iruka was starting to look concerned, while everyone else was staring at him like he was crazy. He brushed it off. For all they knew, he could be crazy. _Damn it Iruka! Why do I have to be with Emo-teme and his crazy fangirl?!_

Yes, Naruto was angry, at being placed with Sasuke and Sakura. They were some of the worst people to be around, and Naruto really couldn't stand to be around them, even for a short period of time. He'd tried once, and had made several other attempts to get them to be his friends. Sadly, Sasuke was anti-social, and Sakura was his blind lapdog. Of course, that did make them the easiest to use as cover. Trying endlessly to chase after Sakura, and proclaiming Sasuke as his rival, it was almost too easy.

Of course, when Sarutobi told him he might have Sasuke as a teammate, he hatched an ingenious plan. Having Sakura was just an added bonus.

"Ok…NARUTO!!"

Naruto jumped up a little, before slamming his head on the table one last time. Iruka sighed. _Will Naruto ever be normal? The answer: no._

"Alright, you all know who your teammates are, so we'll let you go till lunch time, when you'll meet your new sensei's. Dismissed!"

"Sasuke-kun! Now that we're teammates, want to go somewhere to get to know each other better?" Sakura said, her eyes gleaming. "And maybe, if we're lucky, we could ditch Naruto."

Sasuke sighed. "No."

Sakura looked dejected, and defeated. Naruto let a soft, real smile cross his lips. The situation was too perfect.

Naruto put on his big, fake, grin. "Hey, Sakura-chan!"

Sakura sighed. "What do you want Naruto?"

"Well, since we're teammates and all, would you like to go to Ichiraku with me? Maybe we could get the emo-teme to tag along." Naruto scratched the back of his head. If this worked, Sakura would act accordingly.

"Go away Naruto!" Sakura said, hitting Naruto. When she turned around, she noticed that Sasuke was missing. "Darn it! Thanks a lot Naruto! Now Sasuke's missing!"

As she stormed off, Naruto collected himself. Perfect.

Sasuke walked into a nearby building. If he was lucky, he'd get some peace and quiet for a little bit. He'd been chased by fangirls so many times, he really needed a break. How they always managed to find him, he wouldn't know.

He glanced around the room. The bottom floor was pretty public, and he could be seen from any of the windows. Which only meant he'd have to go upstairs.

As he climbed the steps, he felt a small chill run up his spine. He was being watched.

His eyes darted around. After a few moments, he finally found who was watching him. The self-proclaimed, biggest fangirl of them all; Ino. She was standing on the ledge of a building across from the one he was currently in, and staring straight at him. He sighed. At least she wasn't going to come after him, for now.

He quickly moved on, aiming to get somewhere where no one could see him. After another moment, he found a closed off room, with a thick piece of wood covering the windows. In one of the corners, there was a small pile of logs. It was the perfect place to hide.

It was also the perfect place for an ambush.

"You're mine Sasuke!"

Sasuke spun around, expecting Ino, or some other fangirl. Instead, it was just Naruto, who'd climbed in through one of the windows. He sighed a little, as he watched Naruto throw a sloppy punch. Ducking under it, he slammed his fist into Naruto's gut. Naruto skid back a ways, before jumping towards him again.

"Don't you ever learn?!" Sasuke yelled, sucker punching him straight in the face. As he flew back, Sasuke's eyes widened as it turned into a log. "Kawarimi…"

He didn't have time to say another word, as a hard kick to the back of his knees brought him down. As he groan in pain, Naruto's hand came to the back of his neck and squeezed. As he blacked out, he could only think: _Damn -last_

As Sasuke went down, Naruto had an evil grin on his face. While he hadn't been taught any sort of Ninjutsu or Genjutsu by the Anbu, they had taught him other useful stuff. Like pressure points, the best way to tie a person up, all about the human body, and all sorts of things about different plants. He pulled out a rope he had, and began tied Sasuke up. He couldn't have the real Sasuke come to ruin his plans.

Naruto surveyed his new prize. He'd been wanting to do something like that for the longest time, and now, his revenge was in action. Just seeing Sasuke go down might've been enough, but he still had places to go, Sasuke's reputation to destroy.

After tying Sasuke up, Naruto pulled out a little shot. He'd prepared it earlier, to make sure that Sasuke slept for at least three hours. "Nighty night, emo-teme." Naruto hummed as he finished injecting it.

Ino was staring off into space, dreaming of Sasuke again. Shikamaru couldn't understand how any could dream about anything for so long. It wasn't like looking at clouds, which constantly changed. That he could understand, but a person, no way.

He glanced back to the building Sasuke had entered. He was probably the only one to notice, but Naruto had entered just moments before Sasuke had come. He had a good feeling that he was up to no good.

"Oh, it's Sasuke-kun!" Ino yelled, waving towards one of the windows. Shikamaru would've brushed it off, were it not for a movement in the corner of his vision.

Sasuke was waving back.

He rubbed his eyes, and looked over at the building again. Sasuke was still there, and still waving. _That's it, I'm losing it._ He thought, as Sasuke jumped over to their building. Choji stood in the background, eating his chips.

"Hey Ino." Sasuke said, hanging from the railing. Choji paused in his chip eating before continuing, and Shikamaru's mind had shut down. Sasuke was talking to Ino…in a romantic, lover voice.

"Who are you and what have you done with Sasuke?" Shikamaru asked, looking him over.

Sasuke glanced at Shikamaru before giving him a light smile. "I am Sasuke, Shikamaru." He then snapped his fingers. "Oh, before I forget, Naruto wanted me to give you something." He quickly pulled out a piece of paper and handed it to him

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow. Sasuke wasn't the sort of person who would just run any sort of task without any questions. He could be getting paid, but he had more than enough money. So what sort of motivation could Naruto use to get Sasuke to do something for him? Sighing, Shikamaru opened the letter.

_Hey Shikamaru, it's me, Naruto. Look up for a surprise!_

Shikamaru glanced up, and felt his jaw drop. Sasuke was making out with Ino, his most d fan. And in the middle of daylight. But the fact that Naruto knew this would happen meant…no, it couldn't

Shikamaru glanced back to the letter, and continued reading.

_I bet you didn't see that one coming, did you? I guess my acting skills are more than worth it. Ino won't know the difference, and if she doesn't, neither will Sakura!_

_I wish I could see Choji's expression, and you can tell him if you want. But what ever you do, don't let Ino read this! Burn it the first chance you get!_

_Thanks!_

_Naruto _

Shikamaru sighed. _So troublesome, and yet, entertaining._ He thought, as he pocketed the letter for burning later. When he looked up, Sasuke was gone, Ino was grinning in aftershock, and Choji was in shock. He'd tell him later. After all, the fireworks were over, but the could still go off.

Sakura was beginning to feel miserable. Sasuke had ditched her. She'd hit Naruto, so he wouldn't want to talk to her. This was one of the rare times she wished she was still friends with Ino. She'd know how to have fun. She wished she wasn't so insecure about her forehead. It was just so, big.

"Hey." Sakura glanced up, and completely lost her breath.

Sasuke was standing under a Sakura tree, blossoms floating around him. He looked stunning. _Maybe he'd come over, and say something like, 'your foreheads so big, I could just kiss it._

_**Cha! Just like the movies!**_ Inner Sakura said, eyes gleaming.

Sasuke started towards her, a small smile on his face. "Sakura, your forehead is so big. I could just, kiss it." As her breath caught in her throat, he let out a little laugh. "I think I saw that on some movie."

Sakura blushed, and glanced away as Sasuke sat down next to her. She glanced over at him. "So…what do you want to talk about?"

"Naruto." Sasuke said, a small smile on his face. Sakura was a little surprised, but tried to shrug it off. So Sasuke wanted to hear more about Naruto, big deal. "He hangs around you a lot, so I was wondering if you thought to learn anything about him."

Sakura scoffed. "Well, he's annoying for one. Always pestering me for a date, or asking me to talk to him. Sometimes, I think he's trying to stalk me. Can you believe that?"

Sasuke shrugged. "I get fangirls following me all the time, so I understand where you're coming from. But really, that's where the difference ends."

Sakura straightened up. This might be useful information. "What do you mean Sasuke?"

"Well, Naruto is following you for your good qualities. You look good, are really smart, and very pretty pink hair." Sakura blushed. She was getting complimented by Sasuke. It was to good to be true. "But, he also over looks your bad qualities. You have a fierce temper, you have little ninja sense, and might get killed out in the field. And, you come after me single-mindedly. You don't even try to become a better ninja."

Sakura's head dropped. It _was_ to good to be true. But then, she knew what he'd said was true. Maybe she should stop following Sasuke. _But, Sasuke is my life. How would I survive without him?_

"Sakura, I want you to promise me something." Sakura straightened up again. Was there hope? "I want you to stop chasing after me, and focus on your ninja skills. Become friends with Ino again, and prove you're worth in a fight. Then, when you're really strong, and I can recognize you as a strong kunochi, then you can chase me again. And who knows, you might just get me."

"But, but…"Sakura steeled herself. "Alright, I promise."

Sasuke grinned. "Good, now to seal the deal." He slowly began to lean forward.

Sakura suddenly felt her heart start racing. He was going to _kiss_ her. Not Ino, not anyone else, _her_! Her inner self was cheering her on, and was waiting for the big moment. She quickly mimicked the motion. As they kissed, Inner Sakura was setting off fireworks, just like you might see in a movie.

After a moment, Sasuke broke away. "It's time for me to go now. You've promised me, don't disappoint me." He than proceeded to leap away.

Sakura just touched her lips, slowly tracing her fingers over them. She then let out a y squeal, and practically danced away.

Naruto released the Henge a few blocks away from where he'd kissed Sakura. After a few moments, he let out a loud, roaring laugh. "That was way too easy! Wait till Hokage-jiji hears about this!"

About half-way to the Hokage tower, Naruto noticed a white haired man sitting outside a bar. He wasn't moving, and Naruto felt the sudden need to investigate. He jumped over to him, and looked him over. He was old, probably a ninja, and probably a . Naruto sighed. He might as well see what the old fart had on him.

He quickly rummaged through his pockets. Judging by the fact that he had no money, he'd already been robbed. But Naruto already knew that there was more valuable things than money. After a moment, he found what he was looking for. "Bingo, scrolls galore!"

Naruto opened the first one, and was revolted. "Damn, you really like looking at , don't you? Don't worry, if anything else is worth it, I might not burn it…might."

Naruto opened another scroll. It was almost like the first, only in words. Naruto sighed. This guy was more than just any old , he was some sort of super ! He'd almost given up hope, when he opened the third scroll. "Hello, jackpot!"

Inside was a list of different elemental manipulations. He'd heard a little about them, but didn't realize that someone had written them down. This was one prize he couldn't resist. As he pocketed the scroll, and put the other two back, he gave the man a wave. "Thanks, sucker!"

x X x

Sarutobi glanced through the crystal ball. He was only looking at the kids who'd returned to the classroom, because if he tried to watch Naruto, all the Jonin in the room would get a glimpse into Naruto's manipulative mind. He sighed. He'd really wanted to see Naruto's plan in action. But it looked like he'd have to hear it from Naruto, instead of seeing it.

He discreetly glanced up. All of the sensei's were eagerly glancing over their new students. They were definitely interested in who they were getting. Well, everyone except Kakashi and his son. They were off in a corner, reading Icha Icha Paradise. _Damn it, they're holding out on me_

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. All eyes snapped towards it. Sarutobi put the crystal ball away, and all of the Jonin hid themselves around the room. "Come in!" Sarutobi said, getting a sinking feeling in his stomach. He couldn't be done early, could he?

"Hey! Hokage-jiji! Guess what!" Naruto yelled, as he ran into the room. Sarutobi almost slapped his face. If Naruto calmed down here, their whole plan would be ruined. But, there was a small glint in his eyes, one that made Sarutobi feel that something big was about to happen. Or at the very least, funny.

"Yes Naruto, what is it?" He noticed a small grin cross his face, and quickly became suspicious.

"Well, I finally know who my sensei will be!" Sarutobi nearly face-vaulted. That was his big news? He'd thought he'd already…

"Well, I see. Who is your sensei?" Sarutobi narrowed his eyes. Naruto was acting very weird. Normally he'd become calm when he'd enter the room. Unless…he could feel the Jonin's chakra? But, he only knew where they were because he'd seen them hide. Naruto hadn't gotten that skilled, had he?"

"Some old fart called Kakashi." Naruto said, scratching the back of his head. "Kurenai talked about him once, told me to avoid him at all cost."

Sarutobi raised an eyebrow. This would be an interesting conversation. "Really? And why is that?"

Naruto scratched his chin. "I think it was something about him being some kind of Icha Icha . That, and he always hides his face behind a mask!"

"Hm, I do know who Kakashi is. What do you want to know about him?"

"Well, what sort of person is he? I mean, if he's the sort of person who lies a lot, and is always late, I really need to know before I wait for him. Then, I could use the time to train! I could use the extra time to beat Sasuke!" Naruto's eyes caught fire, and he pumped his fist in the air.

By then, Sarutobi had gotten where he was coming from. He already knew this stuff about him, he was just trying to rub it in. The thing that clinched it, was the fact that Naruto had once told him that his rivalry with Sasuke was fabricated. He couldn't wait till Kakashi finally came out of hiding. "Hm, well…I don't know. Not many people try to complain about it. From personal experience, he isn't reliable, and late. If I were you, I'd try to transfer."

"No thanks Hokage-jiji! I think I'll be fine in the team I'm with." Naruto said, turning to leave. As he opened the door, he turned around. "Oh, and tell Anko she's still insane, and to give my regards to Ibiki. Getting ganged up by some Chunnin, and knocked out isn't fun."

A moment after Naruto had left, the Jonin came out of hiding. "I swear Kakashi, you must've drawn the short end of the stick."

"Hm, well at least I know my group will be interesting." Kakashi said, pulling out his book again.

Kurenai turned to Sarutobi. After glancing at each other for a moment, she sighed. "I guess it can't be helped. He's to smart for his own good."

"Kurenai-chan! Why did you corrupt that hunk?" Anko said, wrapping an arm around her.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Don't play dumb with me, I'm talking about Naruto!" Anko sighed. "He knows how to turn me on…and he's becoming more manly every day."

"No comment." Sarutobi said, pulling out the crystal ball again. "Now then, where were we?"

x X x

Naruto tried not to laugh. The Jonin were easier to find than most Anbu! Granted, Anbu was constantly hiding their chakra signatures, they were still easy. The only one he had a slight problem with was probably Kakashi.

Naruto glanced around. He couldn't see anyone around him, and he couldn't sense anyone else around. Making a few handsigns, he slammed his hands into the ground. He'd set up a series of 'portals', around the village. After all, he couldn't go to the waterfall entrance every time he wanted to train.

As he fell through the ground, Naruto closed his eyes. He couldn't help it, he love the feeling of falling. That feeling, that you are falling to fast, from to far a height, perfect. Of course, the other reason was that there wasn't anything to look at.

After a moment, he finally hit the floor. He got up, and dusted himself off. "Now then, I've got some time to kill. Let's see what I can do to kill time."

Author's Notes:

Sorry it took so long, my computer crashed, and I lost a Beta Reader. T.T

But here it is, the end of the 5th Chapter! And just so you know, this won't be a NaruSaku fic. I don't like it, but messing with her is always fun!

And this is yet another call for pairings. And not just Naruto pairings, I want to see all kinds of pairings! So please, review!


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